


Can you feel this?

by GardenGoblin



Category: Homestuck, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bold of you to assume I can write, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Friendship, Gay, Karkat Swearing, LMAO, M/M, Multi, Mythology - Freeform, POV Karkat Vantas, Romans vs Greeks (Percy Jackson), Silly, Swearing, davekat - Freeform, fictober18, gays? in my writing? definitely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-07-23 16:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16162796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GardenGoblin/pseuds/GardenGoblin
Summary: Karkat Vantas has just discovered he's a demigod. Now he must find a way to fit in at a camp he doesn't really feel like he belongs to. Then again, this may not be as bad as he thinks, there is that annoying but cute boy here...





	1. Can you feel this?

**Author's Note:**

> So this is an au my friend originally came up with! I haven't seen any content for a crossover like this so if you have some let me know! But yeah, all the stuff from the series is in effect, although I didn't write in the Athena statue. Percy and the gang won't be mentioned though, imagine if this is a few years in the future where there's pretty much a brand new batch of campers!

Running and running and running, that was all Karkat could think about at the moment as he was running for his life from the manticore that was chasing them. He still was having trouble processing that he was the child of some slutty Greek goddess who thought it'd be a good idea to bang his dad. But here he was, 16 and running through the woods of long island trying to get to a safe haven the sayter just in front of him promised was coming up fast. 

Suddenly they broke through the treeline and he finally saw it, half-blood hill, a golden fleece hanging on a tree branch marking the border, just like his sayter had said. With a surge of adrenaline he didn't know he had in him, Karkat dashed towards the border, the manticore nipping at his heels. Suddenly, just as they passed the tree, the monster turned abruptly and returned to the forest. Just like that, Karkat collapsed onto the ground, his body still pumping adrenaline but his legs too worn out to care. The sayter wasn't much better but Karkat figured he was used to this. 

"Are you okay?" The Sayter asked worriedly.

Karkat shot him the angriest look he could muster, "What does it look like dumbass, I just had to run a fucking mile to avoid being some abominations lunch! No no I'm ficking fine just let me know when it comes back to finish me off!" He felt a little guilty saying this, but shit it hurt to breath and he had to let his frustration out somehow.

But by now the Sayter was used to Karkat's way of expressing himself and just nodded and said "Well sorry to let you down but monsters can't get into camp half-blood... Usually. We're protected by the golden fleece!" He gestured to the wooly golden rig on the tree.

"Great," Karkat gasped "A sheepskin, yeah, why not?"

As he lay there Karkat suddenly heard the clopping of hooves and looked up, above him was a center. 

"Hello young demigod, I am Chiron."  
Karkat looked up at the Chiron and said deadpanned "Karkat, it's a pleasure. Can I please have some fucking water?"

Soon enough Karkat was at the Big House gulping down lemonade like his life depended on it. Chiron waited for him to finish before speaking.  
"So, our friend tells me you have no idea who your godly parent might be. Is this true?"

"All I know is that for the first 16 years of my life my dad said my mom was "a literal goddess" and apparently he was being fucking serious! So no, I have no idea except that it's probably a woman."

Chiron clapped his hands and sighed "Well I'm afraid we won't know for sure who your mother is until she claims you. I have to say though, it's unusual that you came to us at such a late age, most demigods make it here around 12 or..." He trailed off and Karkat understood the gruesome end that Chiron was implying with a shudder.

"Yeah well, I'm not exactly the usual type." Karkat stated trying to break the tension. 

Chiron chuckled, "You'd be surprised what we consider usual here. But I don't think you'll remain unclaimed for long, most campers are claimed the night they get here, if not before that. We will see what happens tonight. In the meantime I will give you a tour of Camp Half-Blood when you are ready."

Karkat nodded "...Yeah, tonight." And in a louder voice "Yeah, I'm tired of waiting around, might as well keep the shit train rolling!"

So thus Karkat's tour began, he saw the Pegasus stables, the lake, the lava wall, and all the other things Camp Half-Blood had to offer! He also saw other campers, all of them around his age or younger. They were all doing something, weather it be cannoing, arts and crafts, or anything else under the sun. It was almost exactly like any summer camp, except with more chance of death or bodily harm. Seeing the cabins was the thing that had the most affect on Karkat though, the 12 larger main cabins surrounded by the more minor was truly a sight to behold, especially with how different they were. One cabin was covered in greenery while another was decked out with barbed wire and torches, Karkat severely hoped he wasn't in that cabin. 

Evening was fast approaching by the end of the tour and campers were heading towards the large bonfire that had practically appeared out of thin air. As he and Chiron approched, Karkat could finally get a good look at the people he would be spending the summer with. What he saw didn't exactly thrill him, honestly it looked like the contents of a school's particularly attractive cafeteria. There were goths, preps, nerds, douchy "cool" kids, and goddamn there were even furries here!  
He ended up sitting next to one of the goth girls and her girlfriend, they were nice enough but all of this was so new that all Karkat could manage to do was nod at them and stuff his hands into the pocket of his new bright orange hoodie.  
He zoned out for a while as Chiron made some general announcements but snapped back to reality when he heard his name.

"-so that is why we will _not_ play keep away from the harpies again Hermes cabin. And finally we have a new camper with us tonight! Karkat Vantas will you please stand up?"

Karkat's cheeks grew warm as he reluctantly stood up for everyone to see. Everyone yelled out a friendly greeting but then suddenly someone wolf whistled at him! Karkat's eyes flew around the crowd as they laughed to find the perpetrator, finally settling on a skinny pale boy with what must have been bleached hair in shades with a shit eating grin plastered on his face.  
The boy saw that he had been discovered and grinned wider, calling out "Sorry hot stuff! I couldn't help it!Can you feel this? We got a connection I can feel it, are you feeling it?" and lowering his shades in what Karkat was sure was an attempt to be smooth.  
When their eyes connected Karkat felt a shiver run down his back and his cheeks heated up even more. Then suddenly everything, the bonfire, the campers, everything, was tinted a light pink and the sent of roses filled the air as a glittering dove appeared over Karkat's head. 

Gasps were heard around him and Chiron kneeled much to Karkat's confusion until he said with a smile in his voice "All hail Karkat Vantas, son of Aphrodite, goddess of love."


	2. People like you have no imagination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat has some trouble accepting his godly parent and meets a new friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter! It's pretty diologe heavy so if there's any mistakes let me know!

"That's bullshit."

Chiron looked up, slightly startled by Karkat's statement.

"It is!" Karkat defended "I can't be the kid of some love goddess! I-I'm awkward and and I have acne and my hair is always a fucking mess and I've never dated and-" 

Karkat tried to think of more reasons why he couldn't possibly be the son of some ethereal beauty goddess when he heard a familiar voice shout out from the crowd again. "Well you're hot shit now pretty boy!"

He snapped back "What's that supposed to mean dipshit?"

The boy just plastered that shit eating grin back on his face and yelled "Someone hand him a mirror!"

Karkat sputtered as one of the girls he was sitting next to earlier handed him a decent sized hand mirror. What he saw made him both confused and more angry. His face looked like a damn Snapchat filter, acne gone and his wild dark hair was somehow styled into luscious curls. He was also wearing the nicest makeup he had have seen, sharp but tasteful eyeliner and a shimmery red eyeshadow paired with a shade of lipstick just a shade darker that his natural color. His clothes were different too, although not as drastic a change as the makeup had been, just a rather comfortable pink sweater, a soft white scarf, and skinny black jeans. It was exactly the style of what he wanted to wear all the time if he could have ever worked up the will power and courage to put it together. 

It was perfect. Karkat hated it.

Before Chiron or anyone else could say any more Karkat ran. Angry tears streamed down his face as he ran towards who knows where, he just knew he had to get out of there. He couldn't believe it, how did this happen, what was going on?! Karkat's mind raced along with his feet but he couldn't keep this pace, he had already ran for his life once today and even sprinting a short distance was really taking it out of him. He eventually stumbled to a stop behind the Zues cabin, collapsing onto the ground in a weary rose-scented pile.

"Not much for bonfires?" A lispy voice suddenly said.

Jerking his head up Karkat saw that he was indeed not alone. A few feet away from where he collapsed sat an asian boy about his age wearing what looked like weird 3D glasses and typing on a yellow laptop. He looked normal enough until from behind the glasses his eyes started to glow and he zapped the laptop with a small shock. The boy say Karkat startle at this and gave a buzzy laugh.

"Always nice to freak out the noobs with that trick." He gave Karkat a finger gun, "Sollux, son of Zues, god of lightning and shit." 

Karkat huffed "Is that how everyone fucking introduces themselves in this shit hole? Hi I'm Dick Muncher, child of whatever the fuck! Please know about my slutty family tree!"

Sollux laughed again "Yeah pretty much! It kinda let's people know what to expect in a fucked up way."

"Yeah well guess I'm Karkat, apparently son of Aphrodite, goddess of magic makeovers that no one asked for." 

Sollux nodded "I figured, rose perfume and the inability to look the least bit ugly even though you just ran sniveling from a bonfire in a sweater are pretty good signs of a newly claimed Aphrodite kid." 

 

Karkat rolled around on the grass and sat up. He looked Sollux over a bit more as the boy typed on his laptop. "What are you doing?" He asked, "Chiron told me electronics weren't allowed at camp because they didn't work and attracted monsters."

Sollux sighed, rubbing his temples as he spoke "People like you have no imagination, do you really think in this day and age someone would just listen to the old horse about shit like that? Yes normal computers attract monsters but not this one! I built it myself with a little help from a pal in the Hephaestus cabin, this thing is totally monster proof. The only problem is that I have to keep it secret or else Chiron and everyone else in the damn camp will be up my ass about it, so instead of plugging it in an outlet I just zap it every once in a while to charge it up. Pretty cool right?" 

Karkat shrugged "I guess, wouldn't it be better to share this tech with the whole camp though?"

Instead of looking guilty Sollux just shrugged and said "That's wholly up to my Hephaestus pal, they're the tech cabin, they decide what goes out to the public. So I'm not gonna get up on his ass about it if he doesn't get up mine."

Karkat nodded, that made the most sense out of anything he had heard today. 

They sat there for a while in silence, watching darkness fall over the camp and listening to the campers come back from the sing-along.

"You're going to have to go to your cabin eventually y'know." Sollux said.

Karkat sighed, "I know, I should probably let Chiron know I'm not dead first though." 

"Probably." Was all Sollux said.

So with a groan Karkat hoisted himself up to his feet, waved to Sollux, and started towards the Big House.


	3. Will that be all?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's taking Karkat forever to teach the Big House because he's meeting so many friends!!!

Walking through the camp towards the Big House Karkat pondered what Chiron and the other campers would say about his stupid stunt, he wondered if anyone else had ever run away after being claimed. He tried to shake the thoughts and anxieties off but the rose perfume felt overwhelming now and the scarf felt like it was choking him, these so-called gifts only reminded him of all that had happened. 

Lost in thought Karkat wasn't watching where he was going and suddenly collided with a solid warm object. Startled, Karkat's tired legs gave out again and his ass ate grass for the third time that day. 

"Whoa! Are you okay! Hey, I know you!" A bubbly voice said.

Looking up in the dwindling light all Karkat saw was a mass of black hair and colorful necklaces dangling down towards him with a small chubby face peaking through them.

"I'm Feferi!" She said as she extended a hand to help him up. When she pulled Karkat felt like he was going to be flung into the air! Man this girl was strong!

Feferi giggled at Karkat's shock "Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength!"

"Like hell you do! I'm pretty sure if you wanted you could throw me into the fucking lake from here!"

Feferi shrugged and giggle again before asking "So why are you out here? Chiron's been looking for you."

Karkat sighed and grumbled "Yeah I figured. I hate to admit it but I can't remember where that damned Big House or whatever is, do you think you can point me the right way?"

Feferi's eyes brightened "I can do better than that! C'mon I'll take you there myself!"

Karkat scowled "How can I trust you? You haven't even introduced who your godly nutsack of a parent is yet. For all I know it could be the god of tricking morons into camp pranks to embarrass them or something." 

Laughing outright this time Feferi said "Wow, you sure are creative! But no, that's not me! Although if that's what you're worried about I'd stay away from Vriska." She twirled with a flourish, "Let's try this again, hi my name is Feferi Peixes, daughter of Iris, the goddess of rainbows." At that last word Feferi spread her arms out over her head and produced a small rainbow that Karkat could barely see in the dimming light. How she managed to create a rainbow in these conditions was beyond him.

Karkat clapped at her little show and said "Yeah alright, that checks out." and followed her. 

Walking with Feferi made Karkat feel like he stuck out 10 times more. It's not that he didn't like her or that she attracted trouble, just the opposite in fact. Feferi was a very friendly girl and it was obvious everyone in camp loved her from the amount of times people came up to high-five or hug her. The problem was that because she attracted so many people that after they were done talking to her they tried to talk to him about what happened at the bonfire. It was all Karkat could do to not bite their heads off at every stupid question. Yes he was suprised by who his parent was, no he was fine, yes of course he'll be moving into his cabin soon. The questions repeated with every person who stopped them. 

Finally after what seemed like the millionth person they arrived at the Big House. Feferi presented it with a flourish and a bow saying "Will that be all?”

Karkat laughed awkwardly "Haha, yeah I'm good." And waved as he began to walk up the wooden steps.

"Hey Karkat." She suddenly called out from behind him.

He looked back at Feferi. She looked more subdued than before, almost sad.

"No matter what happens or how you feel, you'll always have a friend in the Iris cabin, okay?"

Karkat wasn't sure how to respond to that, but he nodded anyway. "Thanks Feferi." 

They waved to each other again and Karkat turned to make his way up the stairs again. Before he knocked on the large wooden door, Karkat turned to look at the now dark camp, the only light coming from the torches lit by a strange green fire encased in glass periodically placed around the cabins and paths. He wondered if he would ever fit in here like Feferi seemed to, out of the two people he really talked to today besides Chiron, she seemed the happiest.

Karkat sighed, his elbows resting on the railing of the porch before turning reluctantly around to face the door. He gave three solid knocks to the wood and could hear shuffling and muffled voices inside, and then the door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little short but I had fun writing it and I kinda like it. Writing Feferi was fun too <3  
> And as promised I'm dropping my Tumblr url here lol it's shaelthefangirl (gotta keep that branding) message me if want to talk about the story or anything!


	4. Take what you need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get inside the Big House!! Also Karkat is an angry gay.

The door opened to reveal the harried figure of Chiron, which at seeing Karkat visibly relaxed. 

"Karkat, we were wondering where you were." 

Karkat's eyebrows shot up and he tried to look around Chiron's body, "We?"

Chiron gave a nervous smile and said "Yes we, young mister Strider and I were just having a chat on what is appropriate to say to ones peers."

Chiron stepped to the side and reveled the blonde boy that had whistled at him at the bonfire. He was sitting on a worn orange couch and looked very uncomfortable, at seeing Karkat he gave a sheepish wave.

"You! You're the asshole that fucked with me! The hell is your problem?!" Karkat yelled, his face flushing.

The boy put his hands up "Whoa there dude, I'm gonna need you to slide into chill out station, just park your anger train all nice and cozy and let my train explain. We're just gonna snuggle these two trains together and have a nice little train talk."

Karkat's eye twitched "What the fuck are you talking about?! Trains! Are you fucking insane?"

Chiron hurried to get between them before Karkat could lunge at the his jugular "Boys! Boys! Please! Both of you calm down!"

The blonde boy stood up "I was being calm! I'm the calmest dude this side of camp! I'm so calm I could-" 

"David please! I've heard enough, this ends now.” Chiron said.

Karkat rubbed the bridge of his nose, a headache forming behind his eyes. "Chiron, can you _please_ tell me what's going on so I can go to sleep? Every second I spend awake is another I regret." 

Chiron clasped his hands together "Of course, Karkat I want you to formally meet Mr. Dave Strider, son of Apollo, good of the sun, music, and medicine."

He nodded at Karkat, "Sup."

Chiron gave Dave a stern look and he backpedaled.

"I mean, hi, I'm sorry for harassing you at the bonfire. It was insensitive and mean-spirited."

Karkat thought these words sounded stiff and rehearsed and was about to say so when Dave said quietly, almost like an afterthought, "I know how it feels to get shit on just because of who you are." Dave looked up at Karkat, embarrassed now, waiting for an answer.

The rage died in Karkat's throat and he just nodded, it was better to not make enemies the first day anyway. 

"Yeah well, you're forgiven or whatever." Karkat said gruffly, his ears burning from Dave staring at him. He looked at Chiron "Can I pass out now?"

Chiron laughed "Yes, once you get settled in your cabin you can go to bed." He gestured to Dave, "Mr. Strider, will you escort Karkat to the Aphrodite cabin please?" 

Dave shoved his hands in his pockets, "Sure."

Leaving the Big House, Karkat finally had time to really look at the boy, granted it was in the dark with only the odd green fire lamps to provide light, but a look nonetheless. The lamps reflected off his shades, shielding his eyes completely, and the light seemingly turning his hair and skin green. He was taller than Karkat, and lanky, walking with a slight slouch beside him. He was cute, Karkat decided, in a sorta douchy way.

"Take a picture darling, it'll last longer." 

Snapped out of his thoughts Karkat realized he had been staring and ripped his eyes away with a furious flush. God Karkat stop being such a gay disaster! 

"Like anyone would want a picture of a dipshit like you!" 

Dave tilted his head and smirked "You got that right shortstack, between the two of us at the moment, you're the one who's photo worthy." 

Karkat recoiled, he wasn't about to go through this bullshit again. "For your information asshat, I didn't ask for any of this shit! So zip it with the fuckery you keep spewing from your wordshitter!" 

"Hey wait man, I didn't mean it like-" Dave started, but a new voice interrupted him.

"Excuse me, are you Karkat Vantas?" A soft, elegant voice asked.

Karkat looked to his right and saw a tall girl in a long skirt addressing him.

"Yeah I am, but everyone seems to know that so I don't know why you bothered asking." Karkat replied indignantly.

"Sorry, I just wanted to be sure. My name is Kanaya, we sat next to each other at the bonfire. I'm the head counselor of the Aphrodite cabin." She explained. 

"So?" Karkat said.

Kanaya looked taken aback but recovered quickly, "I'm supposed to show you to your bunk and where to keep your things. Please come with me." 

"Sure, beats standing in the dark being awake." Karkat said gruffly. He turned away from Dave, only pausing to give him the finger. He responded with a rasberry. Prick. 

Entering the cabin Kanaya asked "Not a fan of the Striders?" 

Rolling his eyes Karkat groaned "If there's more than one I'm going to kill myself before the fucking lava wall can."

Kanaya smiled "Then I'm afraid you won't be with us very long, his brother Dirk is in the Hephaestus cabin, his sister Roxy is in the Athena cabin, and his other sister Rose, my girlfriend who you met tonight as well, is in the Hecate cabin."

"How in the absolute fuck does that work?" 

"Their mom and dad both attracted _a lot_ of godly attention." 

Throwing his hands in the air, Karkat said "Of course, fucking gods! Whatever, I don't care anymore, where do I sleep?"

"Right, I'll show you to your bed and give you the rest of the tour in the morning. Try not to wake anyone though, some of our siblings can get pretty cranky if their beauty sleep is interrupted." Kanaya smirked. 

Just like that Karkat felt like he had been hit by a truck, this girl was his sister, he had dozens of siblings now! Not only the ones here but all who had grown out of camp, who were yet to be born, and all who had lived and died before him. Karkat had only had his older brother to deal with before, but now he felt overwhelmed. 

Seeing his expression, Kanaya gave an understanding nod and pointed to a bunk. "Sleep it off, the shock is always worse the first day, and by tomorrow mom's blessing should have faded. The bathroom is right over there," she pointed to a door on the other side of the cabin, "Its got all the supplies you could imagine. Take what you need, and I'll be in that bottom bunk over there if you need me."

Stiffly, Karkat nodded and crawled into the empty bunk she had pointed to, not even bothering to take the stupid scarf off, and despite the churning in his stomach, fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Strider-Lalonde family tree is a mess and I'm 100% sure there was godly magic involved with thier births. I'm glad this chapter is a bit longer though and hopefully the rest will be a good length as well.


	5. Breakfast time :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat's first morning at Camp Half-Blood!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fictober promt 10, “You think this troubles me?” I had a lot of fun (and a lot of frustration lol) writing this chapter!

Waking up, it took Karkat a few minutes to process what was happening around him. Bright sunlight streamed into the cabin and there were about 12 people milling about the room calling out for various products and items of clothing. There was also a curtain in the center of the room that was pulled back, most likely to separate the guys and girls when they were changing, although no one seemed to care. His heart rate spiked before he remembered what happened yesterday, he was in the Aphrodite cabin, these people were his siblings. Right, time to get up. 

Trying to stay as invisible as possible, Karkat swung his feet over the side of his bunk and attempted to make his way down the short ladder. To his dismay, the moment his feet hit the ground Kanaya called out his name and he was immediately swarmed by his siblings who all shouted greetings and offered their various items and advice that he was free to use. Just as quickly as they had converged onto him, his siblings went back to what they had been doing and Kanaya approched him.

"Sorry about that, we all get pretty excited when a new person joins the cabin. Get yourself together and we can all head down to breakfast." She handed Karkat an orange T-shirt, jeans, and to his confusion, a pair of socks. She saw the question on his face and said "There's nothing worse than having too wear mom's blessing two days in a row, and I've found that for some reason changing your socks from whatever you came in really helps some new campers adjust." 

"For some fucked up reason that makes sense." Karkat admitted. 

Kanaya smiled and nodded, "You can change in the bathroom, I know you aren't nearly as comfortable with all this as the rest of us yet." 

"Thanks, uh, yeah thanks." Karkat mumbled, unsure of what to say next. Kanaya just pointed in the direction of the bathroom again and turned to talk to a girl about a lost hairbrush. 

He was about to ask what he should do with the clothes he had on, when he saw a large trunk at the near end of the bunk bed with his name carved into the wood. 

After he changed, Karkat made his way over to the trunk, and though he couldn't see a keyhole or a lock, he got the feeling that he was the only one who could open it. He expected the trunk to be empty inside but instead he discovered several full changes of clothes, toiletries, linens with his name embroidered on them, notebooks, pens, a copy of his favorite romance novel, his antidepressants, and a few of his personal treasures that he had to leave at home when that stupid manticore attacked him at school. What really struck him though was that his pride pin was included, its stripes a welcome sight after all he had been through. Quietly he tucked the clothes into the bottom of the trunk and pulled on a pair of tennis shoes.

By now most of the cabin was ready to head down to breakfast, waiting for Kanaya to give the order. Later Karkat would find out that this was a tradition in most of the cabin that when a new camper joined, the whole cabin would head down to breakfast together. 

When they finally left, Karkat walked next to Kanaya. Even though they had only just met a while ago, he felt the most attached to her out of all their other siblings. Her comforting presence partnered with her positive demeanor made it clear to Karkat why she was head counselor. 

Arriving to the Dining Pavilion, he attempted to sit at the first table he saw but before he could, Kanaya touched his shoulder, "We all sit together by cabin. Come on, it's over here." The group made their way across the pavilion and sat down. Now that he had time, Karkat looked around the large space, torches blazed from columns and a fire burned inside a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub in the middle of the room, and each of the tables had a white cloth with purple trim on them. The cup in front of him could only be described as a goblet, it was gold and, in his opinion, extremely obnoxious. 

"You can drink pretty much anything you want you know!" A bright voice said.

Startled, Karkat looked over his shoulder to see a small girl in an indigo hat smiling at him. 

"Anything age appropriate anyway! Sorry if I scared you, you just looked kinda confused." She rolled her P's and R's a certain way, almost like a cat's purr. 

"I was mostly thinking how fucking pretentious this cup looked but thanks for the info. Are you one of my sisters or whatever, I didn't see you when we walked down." 

The girl gave a high pitched laugh "No silly! I'm Nepeta, I belong to the Areas cabin!"

Karkat stared, dumbfounded, "Isn't that like, the fucking war god?" 

Nepeta grinned, her canines just a little to sharp for Karkat's liking, "That's right! So watch your step." She finished her statement off with a little roar and batted her hands in the air. "But yeah! Just think of a drink and it'll fill your cup!" 

"So if I think apple juice it'll just-" He waved his hands "Appear?"

Nepeta pointed to his goblet, "See for yourself!"

Looking down Karkat saw that indeed his cup was now full of juice. 

"Huh, more magic bullshit I have to deal with I guess." 

"Eh you'll get used to it. Nep out!" She spun around and high-fived her way down the row of Aphrodite campers and over to a table full of very muscular and physically intimidating kids. For some reason, even though she was much smaller and much cuter than the rest of her siblings, she didn't seem out of place with them, and that made Karkat wonder what that girl was actually capable of. 

Karkat turned to Kanaya, who had been watching in mild amusement, "What's up with her? She doesn't exactly fit the stereotype of the child of a war god." 

Kanaya tilted her head, "And you don't exactly fit the stereotype of a child of a love goddess, we're not all carbon copies of our godly parents Karkat, we are very much mortal, and as such we are all different, no matter how our godly parent dictates our sense of self." 

"Uh, I didn't mean, um. Fuck! I-" Karkat stuttered. 

Kanaya only waved him off, "It's alright, you think this troubles me? You should see me when Eridan steals my lipstick. Just don't underestimate anyone, especially Nepeta, she's more dangerous than you know. See her gloves?" 

Karkat glanced over and saw that Nepeta was indeed wearing olive fingerless gloves.

"If you see her crack her nuckles, run." Kanaya whispered. 

"Why would I-" 

"Trust me, just stay on her good side and hopefully you won't find out why first hand." 

Karkat scrunched up his face, "If you fucking say so I guess? Could you be any more cryptic?" 

"Hmm, yes probably. But I think you'll understand soon enough, you've got to choose your weapon today." She said. 

Karkat's eyes widened, "Are you telling me I could get a sword or some shit!?"

Kanaya nodded, "A sword, or a knife, or maybe something a little more... Unique. You'll find out after breakfast." 

With newfound glee, Karkat stabbed the eggs placed in front of him by a nymph after a nod of thanks, "Finally something to look forward to!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took all of my will power not to put :3 at the end of every sentence Nepeta said. Also did y'all guess what cabin Nepeta would be in! Hopefully you like my pick :D And if anyone has suggestions for Eridan's godly parent I'd love to hear it!


	6. Karkat is a very tired boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat gets his weapon, his schedule, and we meet two more charecters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to post, I've been rereading the lightning thief as a refresher!

"Here it is! The Armory!" 

"Holy shit..." Karkat whispered, his eyes in awe.

And it truly was worth the amazement! The Armory was a large metal shed around the side of the Athena cabin full of weapons of every caliber, tons of swords, knives, and everything else in-between. According to Roxy, head counselor of the Athena cabin and the one giving this tour, it used to be much emptier before the Hephaestus cabin decided to stock it with celestial bronze weapons of all sorts. 

"Pretty sweet right?" Roxy asked, grinning ear to ear. 

"Fuck yeah," he turned to Kanaya, who was leaning against the door frame of the entrance "Does Chiron know this is here?!"

She nodded, "The Armory's been around as long as the camp has! Chiron is the one who gave me this." She pulled out what looked like a tube of lipstick from a pocket in her skirt and uncapped it, suddenly a roaring chainsaw sprang into existence, Kanaya handling it with ease. 

Karkat, like any sane and sensible person, yelled "What the actual fucking shit hell fuck!" and fell directly on his ass in shock, full of a healthy fear of getting cut in half.

Laughing, Kanaya capped her chainsaw again. "Sorry, it's always priceless to see the different reactions people have." and gestured to Roxy. 

Roxy grinned and swept her arms out to the room full of weapons, "Okay Karkat, take your pick." 

"Really? Just... Take something?" Karkat said, his voice unsure.

Roxy rolled her eyes "Well not randomly! See what calls out to you!"

"Right, what calls out to me..." He mumbled. 

Looking around the room again, Karkat tried to focus on the weapons, throwing his mind around the room, desperate to not look stupid. Everything just seemed so over the top, a sword would make him look douchy, the guns freaked him out, the bow and arrow made him feel weird, and so on. Finally his eyes landed on a pair of sickles, the blades made of sharpened celestial bronze and their handles a worn leather. He walked over and picked them up.

"I think... I like these a lot, could I have these?" He asked. 

"Sure man, go for it!" Roxy cheered. 

So now Karkat had a sharp weapon like everyone else at camp, great. 

Walking back with Kanaya and Roxy towards the Big House to get his camp schedule, Karkat kept swiping and fidgeting with his new blades. He had never handled a real weapon before, unless that time in second grade when he touched an old arrowhead counted, but somehow the movements felt more natural than he would have originally thought. 

When the three entered the Big House, Karkat saw a man he didn't recognize doing a crossword puzzle. He was average hight, with black hair and a salt and pepper beard, but what struck Karkat the most about him however, were his clothes, he had on a traffic sign yellow lepord print button up over a Pacman t-shirt, jorts, and to complete the look he was wearing socks with sandles. In short, he was a fashion disaster and a gay icon. 

Both Roxy and Kanaya waved to him, greeting him with "Hi Mr.D!" 

He nodded silently in return then said "Chiron's in the back." 

As the three walked to the next room Karkat grabbed Kanaya's shoulder and asked "Who the fuck was that?" 

Kanaya smiled, "Oh that was just-"

"Dionysus, the god of wine, revelry, and madness." Chiron interrupted. 

Karkat sputtered "A fucking _what_? Why is there a _god_ in camp?!"

"Yes." Said Chiron, "A god." 

"You know what? Whatever! Why am I suprised? As long as he doesn't turn me into a dolphin I'm good!" 

"I could also make you insane you know." Mr.D said, now leaning in the doorway.

Karkat sneered "My bullshit brain already has that covered thanks." 

Mr.D chuckled and turned to Chiron "I hate this one a little less than most of the new campers." 

"Yes well," Chiron said akwardly "Mr.D is the camp director. You're probably wondering why a god is here in Camp Half-Blood, it's because-" 

Karkat cut him off "Nope don't care, someone will tell me later. Can I please have my schedule so I can actually do something in this hellhole?" 

Mr.D guffawed "Wow Aphrodite, nice kid!" 

Chiron shook his head, "Of course Karkat, please come with me." 

Going into what he assumed was Chiron's office, Karkat was given his schedule. Reading it, he thought it looked okay, he just wasn't sure about about "Battle Training," whatever that meant.

"It's about 9:30 so report to Kanaya to see what she has for you, Battle training today will be held in the Amphitheatre, don't be late!" Chiron explained.

"Okay, thanks I guess." Karkat said.

Walking out of the Big House Karkat looked over his schedule once more, wondering if any of his siblings or acquaintances would be in any of the activities.

"Karkat, hey Karkat!" Kanaya's voice suddenly said.

Karkat spun to the right, now seeing that Kanaya was sitting on one of the porch swings.

"Jesus Christ you scared me! I thought you were still inside!" 

She scoffed "No, Roxy has her own duties to attend to so she left, and I didn't want to bother Mr.D, so I left as well. It's kind of funny, he seems to have taken a liking to you, despite your blatant disregard for his godly status." 

Karkat's face soured "Ugh, well I don't fucking care about him! Who cares if he's a god, he drinks diet Coke!" 

"Careful Karkat," Kanaya warned "Many have been punished for far less than disregarding the god of insanity." 

"You're probably right, but I'm to tired to care right now. Chiron said you had chores for me?"

"Oh yes! Here, we can talk about them on the way back to the cabin." 

**Karkat's Schedule**  
8:00-9:00 Breakfast – Cabin Inspection   
9:00-10:30 Battle Training   
10:30-11:00 Chores (picking strawberries)  
11:00-12:00 Greek Mythology  
12:00-12:30 Ancient Greek  
12:30-01:30 Lunch  
1:30-3:30 Arts and Crafts   
3:30-5:00 Competition (capture the flag)  
5:00-6:00 Free Time  
6:00-7:00 Dinner  
7:00-9:00 Campfire Singalong  
9:00-11:00 Free Time  
11:00 Curfew  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I have a question guys, should I introduce Rachel Elizabeth Dare as the Oracle? Or should I make it someone else? And if so, who?? It can't be Rose because she's dating Kanaya.


	7. A barrel of bullshit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat walking from one place to another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE TT-TT  
> I'm also sorry this chapter is so short :'P college has been keeping me busy and I've gotten obsessed with Stardew Valley so that's been distracting me too lmao  
> I'm definitely gonna try to update more though! I'm also debating on making a discord for this fic? Maybe? Comment if you're interested!

Walking back from his Kanaya assigned window washing, Karkat thought again about what Battle Training could mean. Would he be using his sickles? Would he have to fight someone? He didn't know how to work this shit yet, what if they expected him to know what he was doing?! 

As his internal struggle increased, Karkat didn't notice Sollux sliding over next to him, 3D glasses glinting in the sunlight. 

"Hey KK, Earth to KK!" he said loudly.

Karkat nearly jumped out of his skin, "SHIT!" 

Sollux laughed and stuck out his tounge, "That was too easy! I can't believe you didn't notice me!" 

"Well excuse me for thinking!" Karkat snapped. "What was that you called me by the way?" 

"KK? That's your nickname dumbass." 

"Didn't think we were on nickname level yet but fucking okay I guess." 

Sollux rolled his head back, "Well excuse me Mr. Vantas, I meant no offense." 

"Oh fuck off!" Laughed Karkat as he gave Sollux a friendly punch. 

"I would but I've gotta do battle training, it's fucking stupid now but," Sollux deepened his voice in a impression of Chiron, "It will be very useful one day! It's a waste of my time and talents is what it is." 

"Yeah what is that shit? I'm going there now too and I wanna make sure I'm not gonna be jumped on the way in." 

"KK, look me in the eyes and ask me that again. It's fucking training for battle you dipshit." 

"I know that asswad! I meant like what happens in the fucking class!" 

Sollux rolled his eyes, "It's like learning how to use your weapon and shit. Personally I think it's a waste of time, but I guess not everyone has lightning powers." 

"Yeah no shit. So is there like... A beginner level? I'm gonna myself if they expect me to be able to use these things," Karkat waved his sickles, "On day one." 

Sollux waved his hand in a nonchalant gesture, "Nah you'll be fine, you'll get paired into a group with a similar skill level and matched to a tutor, fuck if they expect you to know your shit day one we'd have a lot more dead kids on our hands." 

Karkat smiled, "Thanks dude, I was kinda nervous." 

"Your armpit stains tell me that much." 

Karkat yelled a string of nonsense in response and Sollux laughed as the two boys approached the amphitheater.


	8. Twisted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat figures some stuff out and starts really setting in! Also fighting!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! I got writer's block pretty bad, but if you notice this is my longest chapter yet! So I'm pretty proud of myself for that :D

Walking into the amphitheater, Karkat felt self-conscious again, there were a lot more campers here than he thought there would be. As soon as they went in, Sollux split off and shot him finger guns before joining a small group including Feferi and some kid with the thickest glasses he had ever seen. 

Now standing in the doorway awkwardly, Karkat wondered what he should do next. He was about to try walking up to Sollux's group when a voice behind him stopped him.

"H-hey, this is your first class right? You're gonna be in my group then!" 

Karkat turned to see a short boy with a mohawk addressing him. 

He stuck out his hand and said a little unsuredley, "Um, my name's Tavros, son of Phobos, god of fear." 

Karkat, thankful he didn't have to make a fool of himself, took Tavros's hand, "Karkat, son of Aphrodite, goddess of cheap Valentine's chocolate."

"Um, I don't think that's-" Tavros started before being cut off by a shout at the front of the amphitheater. 

"Alright! Today we'll be working in pairs! Get with your partners and try not to kill each other!" 

Karkat recognized that voice, looking towards the direction the person had yelled from, Karkat saw the boy from last night, Dave. Their eyes met through the crowd and once again Karkat was struck with a bucket of mixed emotions. Disgust at the fact he was still wearing those stupid shades, anxiety that he had to face Dave so soon after yesterday, and a small thrill of something unidentifiable. Before he could decide if he should book it out of there or not, Dave motioned for him to come over. 

As he approached, Karkat could see Dave smile smugly. 

"So newbie, what are we working with here?" He said.

Karkat wrinkled his nose in confusion, "What?" 

"Your weapon man!" Dave gestured to him, "Bring it out, show it off! Show me that funky metal!" 

"Oh my god, if I show you will you shut up?" 

"I'm your teacher, you have to show me!" 

"If you're my teacher I'm going to fling myself into the sun." 

Dave cocked his hip, "Well better get going because I'm the teacher, and unless you have a secret deal with an Apollo kid, I think you're pretty Earth bound." 

Karkat cursed and pulled out his sickles, sticking them out angrily. 

Dave wistled long and slow, "Now that's not something you so every day!" He held out his hand, "May I?" 

Disgruntled, Karkat passed Dave one of his sickles. 

Dave took it and held the weapon delicately, almost reverently in his hand, weighing it and taking a few test swipes. 

"It's pretty well balanced, thats good." He commented absentmindedly. 

Looking at Dave, Karkat could tell he knew what he was doing with the weapon. He held it delicately but confidently with a steady hand and studious gaze. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked.

"Sorry," Dave smirked "My thoughts are worth at least a dollar." 

"Oh fuck you!" Karkat spat, "Just teach me how to use it dipshit." 

"Well," Dave said as he tossed the sickle back to Karkat, who barely managed to catch it, "I always say it's best to start with a hands on approach." He dropped into a stance, a sword seemingly to just appear by his side. "Come at me." 

Karkat's eyes widened, "What?"

"Come at me." Dave repeated, "I won't know your natural movement and style if I don't see you fight first." 

"So I just fucking... run at you?" He asked. 

"Whatever's easiest for you dude, just know that if you don't act in the next 30 seconds I'm gonna make the first move, then you'll be on defence baby." 

Flustered, Karkat tried to mirror Dave stance, but it felt so unnatural. 

"Don't try to copy me, just do what feels right! 15 seconds!" 

Frozen, Karkat tried to think of something, anything to do, but he felt so overwhelmed, he didn't know how to do this!

Suddenly, Dave shot off his spot like a rocket, sword held aloft and bringing it down on Karkat. Reflexively he brought the sickles up and blocked the sword, the sound of metal against metal filling their ears. Pushing off, Dave jumped back and fell back into his previous stance. 

"That was a good block! Sickles are short range weapons, remember that! Now come at me!" 

This time Karkat hesitated for only a second, pushed by adrenaline in his veins and instinct in his heart. He ran at Dave, and swiped a sickle a little to soon. Dave dodged it easily and got behind Karkat. Karkat twirled around and did something Dave didn't expect, he caught his sword with one of his sickles and twisted, causing the sword to flip out of his hands and on to the floor. Stunned by his success, Karkat stopped, giving Dave an opening to grab his sword again, which he quickly brought to Karkat's chest. 

"Do you give?" He asked. 

"Karkat stared at the sharp metal inches from his chest and said "I give." 

Bringing his sword down Dave noticed that everyone in the room was watching them. 

"Hey! What did I say? Keep training or you'll be a monster's breakfast!" He shouted. 

Looking back at Karkat he said, "You've got good reflexes man, and you did manage to get my sword away from me, but you can't just stop and let your guard down like that, it gave me an opening to get my weapon back, and in battle that gets you dead as a doornail." 

Karkat stared at him, a little out of breath. He had been expecting Dave to act all high and mighty about his victory, bragging about how easily he had beaten him. Instead, he was giving an honest critique, telling him his strong points and what he needed to work on. It was so different than what he was used to in his shitty school back home that he just nodded. 

"Cool, now that you have that, go hang with Tavros a bit and I'll come back around once I've checked on everyone else." 

"Uh..." Karkat glances around the room frantically in search of a distinct mohawk. 

"Behind you dude, over there." Dave said, pointing lazily a bit to his left. 

"Fuck! Shit! Right!" Karkat stammered as he turned around, his face heating up. He saw Tavros and made his way over, catching the boys eye and waving a little. 

"Hey dude, that was amazing! No one ever beats Dave on their first try!" He said excitedly.

"I didn't beat him asshat, he obviously won! Or was the sword pointed at my chest not clue enough?" 

Tavros wrung his hands anxiously, "Ah, no I mean, I mean no one's like, done that before, it was just really cool!" 

"Whatever, thanks, I don't know." Karkat sighed. 

"Well uh, lemme introduce you to our group." Tavros said, gesturing to the two other campers sitting on the floor. "That's Jake, he's a son of Hebe, goddess of youth, and that's Jade, daughter of Hypnos, god of sleep." Tavros pointed to a stout black haired boy with square glasses and the clearest skin Karkat had ever seen. Sitting across from him was a taller girl with glasses and long black hair tied in a neat bun holding a cootie catcher. It looked like she was trying to tell the boy his fortune. "Jade, Jake! This is Karkat!" he said, trying to get the two campers attention. 

Jade looked up and smiled, "Hi Karkat! Like Tav said I'm a daughter of Hypnos! Which means I can sleep pretty much wherever, whenever!" 

"God I wish that were me." Karkat deadpanned. 

"Yeah that's what everyone says." she shrugged, "Personally I'd rather have Jake's godly side affect, he's _never_ had any acne!" 

Hearing his name, Jake perked, saying in a strange British accent that Karkat assumed was beyond fake, "It's true my good chap! Honestly I think I got a pretty good deal out of all of this demi-god hullabaloo!" 

"I fucking guess? Shit dude I'm not sure which one I like more, only thing I got from my, uh, my fucking _mom?_ Was like, a makeover I never asked for, and I guess that's about it." 

"I mean you've know you're a demi-god for what? 3 days? You might discover more powers!" Jade said. 

Karkat scrunched up his face, "Like what? Being able to shoot arrows in people's butts and make them fall in love?" 

"Um, actually that's Eros, Aphrodite's son." Tavros injected. 

"And that would, oh fuck does that make him my brother? Is Cupid my fucking brother?" Karkat stammered. 

"Cupid is actually his Roman persona." Jade added. 

"Oh my god this is insane! Why is all this so complicated and stupid?!" Karkat said, almost shouting. 

Jake held out his hand in a universal sigh of "chill out!" "Blimey chap, calm down now, it's not nearly as bad as it seems! Once your head is on straight about the situation it gets worlds easier! When I first got here it took me a week to be convinced this wasn't some elaborate kiddnapping, and another for me to actually get on schedule, but look at you! Second day at camp and you're already trading blows with Dave like a champ! You'll get there mate, don't you worry!" 

"Wow that, that's actually really encouraging?" Karkat said, and it actually was, hearing that this kid had trouble adjusting too, hearing that he wasn't the only one to think this was crazy, that he wasn't _alone_ , it was something he had needed to hear. Instead of all the "you belong here!"s and "you'll get used it it!" he heard and he realized it was _okay_ to be freaked out and it was _okay_ to not want to accept shit right away. It was like several rocks had been removed from the growing pile on Karkat's back, not completely gone, but steadily getting better. 

"No problem friend, all in a days work for old Jake English!" And he held out a hand for a fist bump, which Karkat supplied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly not sure how well I wrote Jake, if anyone has any opinions or advice on writing him please comment!


	9. Update on the discord: not a chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but this is not a chapter, it's the announcement and link to the new Can You Feel This? Discord server!

Here's the link!   
https://discord.gg/4snqMtW


	10. Lonch Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat finally gets a chance to sit down to lunch and socialize a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally FINALLY I finished this chapter up, so glad I got it up during(the last day of) pride month! gay rights y'all!  
> And a special Thank you to my awesome beta B_Dogg2003 !!!!!!!

Feeling better after talking to his group, Karkat looked down at his schedule to see what was next on the list. It was more chores, wonderful. Picking strawberries wouldn't be so bad though, some people paid to pick their own fruit so how gruelling could it be? 

Cut to Karkat, sweaty and pissed as hell.

"Why the fuck are there so many stupid berries! I've been here forever and it's hot as shit!" He complained.

"Karkat it's only been 20 minutes." A nearby Feferi sighed, "Come on, cheer up! At least you're not stuck with bathroom duty." 

"Yeah but... Aaaaaaaaa!" He yelled nonsensically "I just hate how hot it is!"

"Yeah well, what can ya do, y'know?" Feferi said shrugging "I like it out here though, it's peaceful and the air smells so sweet, plus I find it pretty rewarding to fill up the basket." 

Karkat just grumbled, making his way along the rows of berries. 

After a few minutes he heard a shuffling behind and suddenly something was plunked down onto his head.

"Gah what the fuck?" He yelled. 

Turning around he saw a delighted Feferi clapping her hands. Reaching up, he discovered that she had haphazardly placed a flower crown of sweet peas on his head. 

"Why did you- What did you- What?" Karkat sputtered.

"You just looked so grumpy I was hoping something pretty would cheer you up!" Feferi chirped. 

"Yeah, whatever." He huffed, but he didn't make any move to remove the crown. 

Feferi turned around, waving Karkat forward, "C'mon, I think we've got enough for now, let go drop them off!" 

They made their way across the field and approached a green shed, a sticky sweet smell emanating from it. In front of it, just outside the shed's open doors sat a short, chubby girl in red cat-eyed glasses stirring a large pot of red liquid on a camp stove, jars of white powder sitting next to her. 

As they approached the girl took a spoon and tasted the liquid, shook her head, and added a jar of the powder. 

"Jane!" Feferi called out, "We have another batch of berries for you!" 

"Strawberries?" The girl asked. 

"Yup!" 

"That's good, we were starting to run low, you can put them inside." She jerked her thumb to the open doors behind her. 

"Okay!"

Feferi quickly dipped into the shed, beckoning Karkat to follow her. 

Inside all the walls were covered in shelves stacked high with jars of jams and pickles, it reminded Karkat of a farmers store he and his family had stopped at in Virginia while visiting his aunt; crowded and you had no idea what was in all those jars. 

Another camper took their baskets and went into another room where Karkat could see others preparing fruit, washing it and cutting off any undesirable bits, then putting it into a large tub. 

Suddenly Karkat jammed his fist into his hand and said "Oh! She was making jam!" 

Feferi looked over at him quizzically. 

"The- the girl outside! Jane! She's making jam." He said, embarrassed.

"Oh! Yeah that how the camp makes a lot of its money, we grow stuff, then either preserve it or sell it fresh! It's actually a pretty popular local brand and Jane's is the best! Being a child of Demeter doesn't just mean you can grow stuff!" 

"...Huh." Was all he said. 

Afterwards, Karkat struggled through ancient Greek and mythology taught by Chiron himself with varying levels of difficulty. 

Lunch was easier on him because it looked like he could sit wherever this time. That created a new problem though, where the hell would he sit? Thankfully after about 2 minutes of him frantically looking around he heard a blessed lisp.

"Hey KK! Sit over here!" Sollux called from a large picnic table just outside the pavilion. 

Relieved, Karkat made his way over and sat beside Sollux. On his other side was a larger taller girl with a mess of black curly hair. She waved to Karkat and grinned. 

"KK, this is my gf Aradia." Sollux introduced.

"I'm so sorry," Karkat said to her, "I've only known this asshole for like 2 days and I'm so sorry for you." 

"Hey!" Sollux objected as Aradia laughed.

"Thanks," she chuckled, "I like this asshole though so I think it's fine." 

"Whatever floats your boat, I guess." He snickered.

"Bitch." Was all Sollux said.

Karkat opened his mouth to defend Aradia but Sollux interrupted him, "I was talking about you KK, I would never disrespect a woman." Then he limply held a fist in the air and said "women's rights." 

From across the room Kanaya yelled "Fuck yeah!" And kissed her girlfriend. 

At another table Roxy yelled "Gay rights!" Which was met with applause until Dave screamed "Trans rights bitch!" And the pavilion went up in cheers.

"Is this... Normal?" Karkat asked, butterflies fluttering in his chest.

"It is in June," Sollux shrugged, "we're actually having a camp pride festival next week so that's pretty sweet, I'm pretty sure the whole camp is fucking some sort of queer, so like, this happens every time we gather in one place."

"Really? The whole camp?" Karkat asked. 

"Oh yes," Aradia smiled, "I'm pretty sure the only straight person around camp right now is John." 

"Yeah that makes sense." Karkat said thoughtfully, "I met him earlier and he seemed pretty straight." 

"Lmao yeah." Sollux buzzed, "Anyway, how's your day going so far?" 

"Good I guess, my brain is melting from the fucking Greek alphabet and I’m sweating like the world’s ending, so there’s that."   
“Haha yeah it can get pretty hot here! One might say it’s hot as hell!” Aradia said with a grin.

 

“Lol.” Sollux said while Karkat looked slightly confused. 

“Am I missing something, that sounded like an inside joke.”

“Oh yeah!” Aradia said, “You don’t know my godly parent! It’s Hades.” 

“Like… The death god?”

“I mean, he’s god of the dead yes, but he’s not really the one in charge of killing people y’know?” She smiled. 

 

“I guess that makes sense?” Karkat shrugged, “Just about as much sense as anything here.”

 

“You know you’re taking this really well.” Aradia said, “Most people’s reaction is to like, back up or something, like they’re gonna die by shaking my hand.”

“Well it’s not like I know better.” Karkat grumbled, “I have zero fear of all these hoity-toity deities, the only one I’ve actually seen is living off diet coke and wearing a crazy shirt, not the best impression if you ask me.” 

While Sollux laughed at his claim Aradia grimised “I wouldn’t underestimate Mr. D, he’s more powerful than he seems.” 

“If you say so.” Karkat sighed, them made a face, “I just want to climb back into bed right now, but I’ve got _arts and crafts_ next. What am I gonna do? Make this idiot,” he gestured to Sollux, “A friendship bracelet?”

“I don’t think we’re at that stage in our relationship KK, but I appreciate the thought.” Sollux deadpanned while Aradia laughed. 

“Well we do have capture the flag later, I’m sure you’ll like that!” Aradia said cheerfully. “I hope we get to be on the same team!” 

“Capture the flag? Really?” Karkat asked sarcastically, “That doesn’t sound terrible at all.”

“Yeah it sucks pretty bad for the losing team,” Sollux said, “Which usually includes the team that the Athena cabin isn’t on. Fucking brainiacs.” 

“Oh hush, I’m sure you’ll outsmart them one day.” Aradia soothed, then whispered to Karkat, “He has a personal vendetta against them because he believes he’s one of the smartest people in camp and he hates that they get all the resources.”  
“Because they do!” Sollux complained, “Chiron knows I’ve got more intelligence in my little finger than the whole Hermes cabin combined, but he keeps insisting I have too “hone my godly powers.” Like shit! I can destroy a computer and re-code it to only play a flamingo on Webkinz, but what use is that if you’re not a Hephaestus or an Athena kid? People see me and only think of my ability to call lightning, not my rad hacking skills!” 

“I know, I know.” Aradia said with the voice of someone who has heard this all before many times. 

“Guess I’ll see who’s team I’m on later after I get through making hand turkeys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to join our discord! DM me at ShaelTheFangirl#2253 if the link gives you any issues  
> https://discord.gg/fVNvQUq


End file.
